Statue of Peter the Great in Deptford

Image: © Marathon Taken: 19 Apr 2011

Tsar Peter I of Russia, also known as 'Peter the Great', travelled as a young man to Europe in 1697-98 to study new developments in technology, especially shipbuilding. He lived near the Royal Dockyard in Deptford, at the home of the writer John Evelyn, for much of his four-month stay in England. During their stay Peter and his party caused a great deal of damage, and Evelyn was extremely unhappy. His estate steward reported that they had wrecked the house and garden. Carpets were left filthy with grease and ink, and many paintings looked as if they had been used for shooting targets. Locks and windows were broken, and every one of the fifty chairs in the house had vanished, probably burned on fires! Evelyn was appalled by damage to his prized holly hedges. Peter and his friends had played a game which involved pushing each other through the hedges in wheelbarrows. This statue was erected in 2001 to commemorate the Tsar's visit. The smaller figure is a dwarf-cum-jester.

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